How to manage teams effectively in the new world of work
While line managers were once thought of as “the frozen middle,” HR guru Lynda Gratton believes they have become “crucial” to organizational success in a world increasingly moving toward hybrid working.
The reason for this shift in perceptions, which had started before but accelerated during the pandemic, is that managers are now being recognized as “crucial catalysts for change”.
They are also understood as “a culture carrier, glue, performance and commitment driver and connector,” adds Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School and co-founder of HSM Advisory.
In other words, managers play a critical role in creating a positive employee experience, which includes becoming effective coaches, proactively supporting and developing their teams. Becoming a skilled storyteller is also important, since “crafting narratives to gain approval and support purpose” is the “glue” that holds everything else together, says Gratton.
Mary Beighton, director of people and culture at auto finance specialist Zuto, agrees.
“This level is critical because middle management is ultimately responsible for engaging and motivating teams on a daily basis — they’re the first point of contact, whether it’s virtual or in person,” she says.
Modern managers
But leadership has also evolved “incredibly,” especially in recent years as new ways of working have come into play, Beighton admits. That means a lot more is now expected of them, including the need to be more aware and aware of others.
“Line managers try to balance traditional responsibilities like management and performance motivation with presenting the company from a values perspective and transferring that vision to the workforce,” she emphasizes. “There’s also the added challenge of promoting employee well-being and amplifying the voice of employees so that they have tremendous responsibility.”
In practice, this means that managers operating in a hybrid or remote working context are now required to demonstrate higher levels of competency in soft skills.
Mike Thackray, senior consultant at organizational development consultancy OE Cam, explains: “Managers need to be able to take all the skills that were previously required to a whole new level. This includes emotional intelligence (EQ) as understanding individual situations, circumstances and needs has become much more important.”
Managers must become connectors. This means enabling connection-focused conversations to ensure employees are highly engaged
Another key competence is effective decision-making, especially in relation to hybrid working methods and especially when clear organizational guidelines are missing. However, a key problem with this, according to Thackray, is that “some managers just don’t have the skills or the confidence to make these kinds of calls, not least because as soon as you make a decision for one person and it’s different for another is you rise to the challenge.”
This situation is also sometimes marred by a lack of consensus among executives about which hybrid approach to work they should take—or whether they should go down this path at all.
Debbie Bayntun-Lees is Professor of Organizational Development, DEIB and Change at Hult International Business School (Ashridge). She explains: “There are organizations where leaders come into conflict, with some wanting to become hybrid and some not, but this leads to paralysis, tension and delayed decision-making. Managers usually turn to HR, but they also often feel in the dark because everything is so new and still in the experimental phase.”
relationship building
Traditionally, little thought is given to how managers are affected by such a scenario. But it can leave them feeling caught in the middle between leaders and their employees, who often like to work more flexibly and, in some cases, use today’s competitive job market to vote with their feet.
The result of this pressure is managers who can feel “disempowered and demoralized,” a scenario that often has a negative impact on employee morale as well.
As a result, Bayntun-Lees points to the importance of both leaders and managers learning to interact with their teams in ways she describes as “deliberately relational.” One of the goals is to find ways to develop “quality relationships and interactions” that make both employees (and their managers) feel “known, valued, and included.”
“Leaders and managers need to become connectors,” she explains. “This means enabling connection-focused conversations to ensure employees are deeply engaged with the company’s mission and work expectations, but also that leaders are connected to employee aspirations and well-being.”
Managers usually turn to HR, but they are often left in the dark as everything is so new and experimental
Doing this requires a management mindset that is “able to learn, share power and responsibility, and work with people. But it also requires leaders to be visible, to build relationships, to build trust, and to provide psychological security,” says Bayntun-Lees.
A key skill in this context is facilitating discussions both between teams and with individuals. This includes learning how to have difficult conversations and how to manage employee expectations around issues such as flexible working options or pay rises in today’s cost of living crisis.
But it’s also about enabling an inclusive dialogue in which everyone gets a voice, not least about how hybrid working could work for their team. Managing power imbalances and potential conflicts are other important considerations. “It’s about bringing more humanity to the world of work and ensuring that managers understand the power they have both in terms of their own role and in managing their team’s power differentials to help create a level playing field – and this is new skill for many,” says Bayntun-Lees.
Another set of important but all too often overlooked skills that managers also need to develop are what Gratton calls “hybrid-capable practical skills.” While they may seem simple, administrative activities like co-developing team agreements on acceptable behavior and planning more effective workflows can make a significant difference in helping teams manage their time more effectively to maintain high levels of performance.
Learn new tricks
There are a number of possible approaches as to how leaders can best go about learning new skills and developing old ones. Management training and upskilling courses revamped to support hybrid and remote work will no doubt help. Zuto, for example, has updated its management development program to include new modules on resilience and having difficult conversations. It also opened up participation in both areas to all interested employees to help them “feel better equipped to deal with any challenges,” says Beighton. But beyond the more formal education, role models and mentors also play an important role.
“All of this requires a certain level of self-awareness, and it’s difficult to develop without specific help,” says Bayntun-Lees. “Many managers feel pulled in all directions and need guidance, so role model support is key.”
Another useful strategy is the introduction of peer-to-peer learning. Line managers from across the company meet here regularly to discuss problems, challenges or innovations and to learn from shared experiences.
But Zuto has also made sure to introduce various support mechanisms such as: B. Standardized talent management frameworks to provide both employees and managers with clear career paths for the future.
“It’s been a challenging transition for line managers over the past few years with many new things expected of them, so we wanted to provide process, structure and consistency. Today, the line manager position carries tremendous responsibility, so it’s important to focus on improving skills to help them adapt, meet expectations and inspire troops,” concludes Beighton.